Four Men in Genesis

Genesis 15:6a,  "Abram believed the Lord....."

    The story of Abram occurs at the pivot point of Genesis, at the end of the beginnings.  The first part of Genesis covers hundreds of years and four prominent events--the creation, the fall, the flood, and the Tower of Babel.  The remainder of Genesis covers around 300 years and four generations.  It zeroes in on the lives of four men--Abram, who became Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.  These four men reveal much about human nature and much about God's attributes by their lives.

    Abram models faith and obedience.  Hebrews 11:6 tells us,  "Without faith it is impossible to please God..."  Hebrews 11:8, 9a, and 10,  "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.  By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents.....for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."  And believing Abraham found God to be faithful to His promises.

    Abraham is also a picture of our loving heavenly Father Who lavishes His gifts upon us.  Abraham lavished his great wealth upon his son, Isaac.  Isaac pictures those who have accepted Christ and been born into God's family.  He did nothing to deserve his father's blessings--he received them because he was Abraham's son, and God blesses us, not because we have earned it or deserved it, but because we are His children.

    In Jacob's life we see such human characteristics as cunning and deception.  But in his brother Esau, and in God's dealings with Jacob, we see God's lovely attributes of mercy and forgiveness.  In Jacob we see the repentant heart and humble spirit that must precede forgiveness.

    Joseph is one of the loveliest characters in the Bible.  He models integrity, perseverance in the midst of adverse circumstances, and a forgiving heart.

    If your life was also described in Genesis, what characteristics would you be modeling?  Are you reflecting God's attributes to a watching world today?

Father, may others see You in us.  May we model Your attributes well.  Amen.